NOVEMBER UPDATE

HAPPY DECEMBER!

I can't believe it is already the first week of December 2013. They say as you get older, time seems to speed up more and more. I am beginning to believe it! It's already that time of year again filled with family, lights, decorations, good food and so much more. Our family has a lot going on this holiday season and a lot to celebrate as well! November was a great month for us:

-It started off with a Youth Chili Cook-Off which was a fundraiser at our church to benefit our youth group. It was a fun event and I was proud of my husband for coordinating it all.

-I experienced my first Girl's Progressive Dinner with our youth group girls. We went to a different church member's house for each course of the meal (appetizer, salad, main course, and dessert). It was really fun and something that I have always wanted to do.

-I have continued to be blessed by the Girl's Bible Study I attend with women in their 20's. Our lessons have been challenging and I've learned so much. We even had a special Thanksgiving get together where we all brought our husbands/significant other and enjoyed a delicious dinner and played Catch Phrase. Lots of fun was had! It's really nice being able to spend time with people in the same phase of life as yourself and your spouse.

-We celebrated Josh's 24th birthday!

-I finally got around to having that Pinterest Day I wanted to do for a while. My friend Becky and I crafted and made some Pinterest food. I felt very accomplished by the end of the day!

-I found out that my brother would be officially moving to Dallas in early December. It's very bittersweet, but I am very proud of him. My mom, brother and I had a special celebration dinner.

-We had our early Thanksgiving Feast at church...yummy food!

-Josh did a great job with Youth Sunday at our church. The youth did every aspect of the service and everything turned out so well. The youth band led worship (their first time ever) and it was so moving and powerful. Josh preached at both services and made me very proud! We were all impressed :)

-Hillsong United Concert - a much needed date night!

-We went to see Catching Fire! I rarely see movies in theatre, but I couldn't resist this one.

-We enjoyed another FEAST group with church members. Good food and fellowship.

-Josh and I spent Thanksgiving with our Gale/Zipperer family in Savannah. It was great to have 2 days off to spend time with them. I love them all and love getting to know them more.

-Last but not least, WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! Last month I mentioned that we were looking for somewhere to live in early 2014 and a lot has happened since then. All of our needs were met and everything has come together so perfectly. We are beyond excited about moving and starting a new chapter of our lives in our first home. We have been beyond blessed with this new adventure!

2013 is coming to a close, but I look forward to ending it with new beginnings, traditions, and memories.

Glimpses

Another week has come and gone! I can't believe September is already halfway over and fall is finally in the air. Although in Georgia, summer could be back at any moment. Let's just be honest!

Time is flying (like always) and I want to take the time to reflect back on the moments throughout my week. Life is really just thousands of moments strung together, some big and some small, but each significant in its own way. I’ve always loved the quote, “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” It’s a good reminder that life isn’t always about big, mountain top experiences. What really defines our lives are the little, day-to-day things. Those are the memories that we will keep forever. I like the fact that I'll be able to look back on each weekly blog and be reminded all of the great memories that made up the weeks of my life. I want to remember the specifics. I don't just want to breeze through without taking the time to be grateful. It's important to remember where I have been, where I am, and where I am going.

God has worked in some really cool ways in my life recently. Things are changing, for the better. I am being challenged. I am digging deeper. I am learning to give more of myself. I am working for a bigger, much better cause than the eye can see.

Here are some glimpses into my life this week:

1. The first week of girl’s Bible study was wonderful – the fact that God can bring all different types of women together who are seeking one common purpose is amazing. I’m so excited for what is to come with the group!

2. We are studying the book “Feminine Appeal” by Carolyn Mahaney and the emphasis is learning how to be a Godly woman, Godly wife, and Godly mother. It has challenged me to dig deeper into learning about each of these roles and to focus on being that Godly woman and wife each day. It has allowed me to really dissect what I believe about each of these roles and has opened up conversation within my marriage of what these roles should look like in our home (and vise versa).

3. A hardcore teeth cleaning at the dentist (ouch!) that resulted in me being cavity free – it’s still just as exciting as it was when I was a child!

4. Two naps this week – always a good thing.

5. Apple cider k-cups - perfect start to fall in our house.

6. Going on a walk with my mom and Cedric

7. Catching up with my Aunt Judy who lives in Arizona is always a treat – I am blessed by our relationship and friendship that we have recently cultivated.

8. Wednesday night church supper and girl’s youth Bible study – I am challenged, but am loving being a part of the group and getting to know the girls better. We have a wonderful group of young ladies who attend!

9. Finally finishing season 2 of Once Upon A Time – success!

10. Being stuck in traffic for 3 hours with my husband that ended in us dancing and just being silly with each other. I know it’s still very early in our marriage, but I love that we can still laugh so much together. It’ corny, but I love being married to my best friend. It makes for some very entertaining and fun time together.

11. “Love Your Marriage Night” – Josh and I were able to attend and hear Randy Carlson talk about not only intentional living, but being an intentional spouse. I really enjoy getting marriage (and really just life) advice from older, wiser people. I love to learn and soak in the knowledge that they share.

12. I got my September Birchbox this week and it was a good one! I got all kinds of goodies, from nail polish and lip gloss, to Egyptian Magic Skin Cream and Green Apple face peel. I am loving trying out the new products.

13. We went our church's lip-syncing show this weekend aka "The Grammys". We had no idea to expect, but it was absolutely hilarious. Everyone dressed up and really played the part of their character well. We had many laughs.

14. Frozen yogurt bar with toppings and all at RaceTrac – who knew!

15. Cool(er) fall weather this weekend

16. Broke out the leggings yesterday – one of my favorite fall fashions.

17. Great church service and feeling like God is giving me a renewed thirst for Him. We all go through “dry” spells in our walk, but then we hit a point where we feel huge desire for Him and His presence. It’s like we just can’t get enough. I love this season of our walk.

18. The Chronicles of Narnia Bible Study that my Sunday School class is doing is awesome. I’m really loving it and learning a lot. I even volunteered to lead a book – The Voyage of the Dawn Treader!

19. Hamburgers and tater tots for Sunday lunch with my family while watching the Falcons game – although I’m not a big sports fan, I love when we can all come together and enjoy each other’s company.

20. Alex and Ava’s 4th birthday!

21. Yesterday was the first day of the kid’s soccer league at our church and it was a blast! I don’t know much about soccer, but I am already in love with my little team. I find myself not worrying much about technique, but just encouraging them no matter how they perform. I also find myself talking about how adorable they are constantly – can’t help it! I am very thankful to be a part of this ministry and to be able to invest into the lives of children. Go Bluejays!

22. We had a great youth group last night with more youth than normal. They really started to open up about what they believed and why. I admire their faith and honesty at such a young age. We were learning about being “authentic” Christians which I think is a good lesson for anyone at any age. I feel challenged from the youth lessons and feel like I always learn something while I am there (funny how that works).

23. Sitting down at the end of the weekend and talking with Josh for almost an hour – just catching up on our week/weekend. I love that time we have together.

Declaring Your Spendor - All Day Long

Highlights of the Week:

1. A non-medicated husband who actually knows what's going on and is feeling much better

2. Late night of dinner and ice cream while catching up with all my old college roomies - the discovery of Oreo Creme Filling ice cream may have been the best part! 

3. Eating salmon at a fancy restaurant and actually enjoying it 

4. Early Saturday morning coffee date with my best friend while she was in town for the weekend 

5. A weekend full of errands and getting things done - feeling accomplished! 

6. Treating myself to my first (much-needed) pedicure in months 

7. Delicious homemade lunch (spicy chicken alfredo) with my brother and Josh 

8. Harry Potter marathon - my inner dork was quite happy this weekend 

9. Getting everything with my car up-to-date - who knew an old, junky car could be so expensive? 

10. Getting in 2 runs last week 

11. Our nephew's soccer game - he scored two goals! 

12. Playing with my nieces during the game - we enjoy all things girly rather than the world of sports 

13. Seeing both my parents and my brother last week - it's rare when that happens 

14. Free Chick-Fil-A biscuit to start off my Monday morning 

15. Starting a new Bible study with women in the same season of life as myself - huge answered prayer! 

16. First time going to our weekly Wednesday night dinner (WOW) at church and I got to be a part of the middle school girl's Bible study - might be making this a weekly habit! 

17. Josh and I have officially been married 8 months - it's flying by! 

18. 2 episodes away from finishing season 2 of Once Upon A Time - come on Sept. 29th! 

19. Josh and I ended the week with a busy, but good Sunday filled with church activies and planning youth trips for the next 6 months - exciting things to come!

20. Assistant coaching little league soccer (3 & 4 yr olds) for the next 6 weeks at our church - I have absolutely zero experience but am so excited to spend the next 6 weeks with some awesome kids! 

My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long. ~Psalm 71:8

BLESSINGS

Well the long 3 day weekend has come to an end, and what a weekend it was! Filled with long work days, recovery, family time, rest, and quality time with my husband. After reflecting over the past week, I can truly say it has been wonderful and tough all wrapped up into one. Josh is still recovering from his sinus surgery and it has been a lot harder than we anticipated. I had to work the dreaded end of the month (12 hour) shift on Friday, the day after his surgery, so I had to be away from him all day. Needless to say, I was dead when I got home on Friday night.

Despite how exhausted I was when I went into the weekend, I feel renewed and ready for a new week coming out of it. Like most of us, it's so easy for me to focus on the negative in a situation. I tend to get caught up in the whirlwind of life and see the struggles rather than the blessings. One of my goals for the New Year was to focus on the positive and to make a conscious effort to see all that God has given me. So this is going to be a positive post. A reflection on the blessings during the hard times. Here it goes: 

1. We have felt so much love and support the past week during and after Josh's surgery. We were so blessed by the influx of prayers and encouragement. 

2. We have the BEST family, friends and church family!

3. We had 3 visitors on the day of surgery: our pastor, brother-in-law, and Josh's sister. Their presence helped me get through the waiting period and it was so appreciated.

4. Ticket to Ride: I am SLOWLY learning to enjoy playing board games (post-surgery fun). Josh is VERY excited about this. 

5. My father-in-law came and stayed with us Thursday and Friday night. He took care of Josh all day Friday while I was at work. We were so thankful that he was there to help!

6. I was able to get SO much sleep this weekend. Almost every time Josh slept, I ended up sleeping too. It's amazing how much better you feel after getting a few nights of good rest.

 

7. Naps. I have always LOVED naps, but rarely get to take them. Well this weekend was an exception! (I took one every day...) 

8. We had a great time visiting our Gale family this weekend. Even though there were times where Josh wasn't feeling well enough to be around everyone, we enjoyed the time we were able to spend with them. 

 9. I got to see all my nieces and nephews this weekend. I seriously love those kids. 

10. We had a peaceful drive home watching a beautiful sunset that can only be seen in the country, far away from all the city lights. 

 11. We went through Milledgeville and GCSU and I got to hear Josh reminisce over college memories. 

11. Long phone calls with my mom 

12. Lifetime movies on a rainy Labor Day morning 

13. Trips to the grocery store that aren't rushed where we actually get to go together (even though we forgot bread and milk...oops) 

14. Getting to eat lunch together 

15. Going on a long, peaceful run to unwind 

16. Discovering my inner nurse 

17. Olive Garden - enough said.

We are truly blessed! Here's to a new week with an optimistic attitude that sees the overflow of blessings we receive each day.